[KiwiRD]

Hi all,

Some of you may have seen my post on the wider E90 general forum already, but I have just picked up my 2007 E90 M Sport 335i from the Indy after having various bits and pieces carried out. I decided to replace the suspension with a B12 kit, plus new top hats, new upper and lower spring pads front and rear, rear lower strut mounts, and rear upper strut mounts - so basically the whole kit and caboodle short of new arms and FCABs etc.

Suffice to say that after 100,000 miles, the original shocks were absolutely shagged. There was literally zero resistance on the compression stroke (when pressing the piston against the garage floor), and the rebound stroke took about 30 seconds for the piston to fully extend.

The thing is, the car (at the front at least) is now ever so slightly higher than pre installation. The measurement from the bottom lip of the centre of the wheel edge to the top edge of the wheel arch remain unchanged for the rear (595mm) but the front measurement has increased from 600 mm to 605 mm. Weird. The Indy has done the job properly - the 'stop' on the strut body is resting hard against the knuckle, and the correct pads etc. have been used per realoem.

My suspicion is that the new top hat rubber section (the 'cone' part is a little taller / un compressed than the knackered / squished old one - so this could be a case of the old worn out ride height being what I was after with the new kit, but the new kit has kind of restored it to, perhaps, just a little lower than what a fresh M Sport set up would be.

My question is this - for those who have installed a new B12 kit on an E90 M Sport AND have installed new top hats and spring pads - is your ride height noticeably lower than a well worn M Sport set up, or is it where mine has landed (measurements would be helpful if you have the time)? Pics online suggest that I should have expected a lowering of 10 - 15 mm, but I don't know if this is with new or used top hats etc.

Note than my install was only completed yesterday, and I have only done 20 miles on the new kit, so it may settle a touch yet.

Other than that, I can confirm that an intake valve clean, vanos solenoid clean, new coils and new plugs make a very handy difference to how the car performs. Expensive, but good peace of mind!

Cheers,
Rob

[sparkymarky]

how is the b12 kit compared to your original m sport and did you did a compression test whilst the kit was on the car? i.e push down on each corner?

[KiwiRD]

Originally Posted by sparkymarky

how is the b12 kit compared to your original m sport and did you did a compression test whilst the kit was on the car? i.e push down on each corner?

I did, but that test is a bit redundant. In doing that test you're really just working against the spring rate, which in modern cars will always be high enough that you won't be able to push down very far at all. Even with my 100,000 suspension, I couldn't move the car down much - maybe 5 to 10 mm. But then I compressed the dampers once removed, they were shot completely.

So far though the B12 kit is great. It is firmer than the M Sport but not hugely so. The damping and general feeling of being planted is much better.

[danb21t]

When I fitted the B12 kit to my e92 I found the rear sat slightly higher and the front slightly lower. This was due to the shocks on the rear being completely screwed, they wouldn't return naturally.

I wasn't really looking for a big drop but I think it sits perfectly for every day driving. The immediate feeling was firm but smooth compared to the knackered M-sport suspension.

Best upgrade, and value for money mod, I've ever fitted to a car I reckon.

[gaz_ball]

I've just about got all the bits for my suspension refresh/upgrade now, which includes a B12 Pro kit, M3 front lower control arms, full Powerflex kit & replacement front/rear spring/damper mounts so I'm interested in this thread.

You got a refresh kit from ECS didn't you? Do you have the part number of the top hats to check they're correct?

[KiwiRD]

Originally Posted by gaz_ball

I've just about got all the bits for my suspension refresh/upgrade now, which includes a B12 Pro kit, M3 front lower control arms, full Powerflex kit & replacement front/rear spring/damper mounts so I'm interested in this thread.

You got a refresh kit from ECS didn't you? Do you have the part number of the top hats to check they're correct?

I did indeed. I checked against realoem and they were the right ones. I wonder if it just needs a thousand miles or so to settle?